Pakistan has urged the Afghan government to take swift action against the masterminds of the train hostage tragedy. The Foreign Office also said that Islamabad had taken notice of the reports that the Donald Trump administration was likely to impose a ban on the entry of Pakistanis in the USA.  Addressing his weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday, FO spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said right now there was no confirmation of these entry ban reports. “These are merely rumours,” he added.  

On the Jaffar Express incident, the spokesman said that Pakistan was targeting those terrorists who had sanctuaries outside its boundaries. “Those who carried out the attack had links with their collaborators abroad,” he added. “We urge the Afghan government to take action against the people who had masterminded the Jaffar Express incident because they had their safe havens in Afghanistan,” he added.  Rubbishing reports that Pakistan wanted to close its border with Afghanistan at Torkham, Shafqat said it was merely propaganda.

“The truth of the matter is that Afghanistan had tried to set up a checkpoint inside our territory,” he added. The spokesman went on to say that four Pakistanis had been released on a court order in Spain. “We had requested for the consular access to other detained Pakistanis. But so far we have not been given that access,” he informed. On an incident that took place at Los Angeles Airport involving Pakistan’s ambassador to Turkmenistan KK Ahsan Wagan, he said the ambassador was on a private visit to the USA, and that he had been allowed to go following second screening.

“However, we are investigating the incident,” he added. Shafqat said that China, being a time-tested friend, stood by Pakistan. “The entire world has condemned the Jaffar Express incident,” he added. He went on to say that the Indian leadership’s statement on Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) reflected their expansionist designs.  The spokesman said Pakistan urged the cessation of hostilities both in Gaza and the West Bank. “Pakistan strongly condemns the ban imposed by India on Awami Action Committee and Jammu and Kashmir Ittehadul Muslimeen,” he added.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)